Some folks have been curious as to how I create my leaf composite images, so I thought I would show a few of the steps I take. Note: a working knowledge of Photoshop is probably required to follow along.
I begin by taking multiple photographs of leaves placed on my light box.
The next step is to create a new document with a white background and start layering different images in Photoshop.
This is the first layer. The blend mode on all the layers is “multiply”. You can experiment using different blend modes, but “multiply” works best for this image. I also use layer masks to “erase” parts of the image I do not want to see. Below is a closeup of my layers panel to give you a better idea of what I am doing.
What follows is the progression I made with each layer I added.
Once I have all my layers and I like the composition, I make adjustments of color and contrast until I am happy with the final image. Experiment with this and have fun!